Posthumous Oscar nominations a reality since the first Academy Awards; Is Heath Ledger next?

As you may recall, the announcement of last year's Oscar nominations was quickly overshadowed by the tragic news that broke later that same day: Heath Ledger, the actor best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in "Brokeback Mountain" (2005), had been found dead of an accidental drug overdose at the age of 28. It's a terrible shame that Ledger will not be alive on nomination day this year, because his name will almost certainly be called again.

If Ledger is indeed nominated for his supporting performance as The Joker in "The Dark Knight," it will be the most prominent posthumous Oscar nomination since James Dean was recognized for his leading performances in "East of Eden" (1955) and "Giant" (1956) after his death over 50 years ago. In fact, in the 81-year history of the Academy Awards, 53 individuals have received a total of 70 posthumous Oscar nominations and 13 Oscar wins.

Believe it or not, the very first crop of Oscar nominees, which recognized cinematic achievements from both 1927 and 1928 but was only announced in 1929, included a posthumous nominee. Gerald C. Duffy, a writer for First National Studios, penned the "titles" that were spread throughout the silent film "The Private Life of Helen of Troy," which was an epic blockbuster in 1927. On June 25, 1928, while dictating a script, Duffy dropped dead at the age of 32. Less than a year later, the first Oscar nominees were determined, and he was among the three nominees for "best title writing," a category which was eliminated after that year due to the arrival of sound films. Duffy did not win, but he helped to pave the way for another writer who became the first nominee who did.

Sidney Howard adapted the most celebrated novel of his era into what would become the most celebrated film of his era, "Gone with the Wind" (1939), but never lived to see its cinematic release or awards success. Howard had already been nominated twice before for best writing -- for "Arrowsmith" (1931) and "Dodsworth" (1936) -- when he took on "Gone with the Wind." In 1939, he finished his script treatment, turned it over to the studio (which commissioned several uncredited rewrites before largely reverting to his original version), and headed out to a farm that he kept in Massachusetts as a hobby. On Aug. 23, 1939, he was driving his tractor when he hit a bump and the tractor flipped on top of him and killed him. On Feb. 29, 1940, at the 12th Academy Awards ceremony, "Gone with the Wind" received 10 Oscars -- a record that would stand for 20 years -- including one for Howard.

Somewhat surprisingly, of the 70 posthumous nominations that have been presented and 53 individuals who have received them, only seven have recognized performances: Jeanne Eagels ("The Letter," 1929) for best actress; James Dean ("East of Eden," 1955); James Dean ("Giant," 1956); Spencer Tracy ("Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" 1967) for best actor; Peter Finch ("Network," 1976) for best actor; Ralph Richardson ("Greystroke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes," 1984) for best supporting actor; and Massimo Troisi ("Il Postino," 1994) for best actor. Moreover, of those six, only one has resulted in a win.

Many expected that the revered Tracy, who had already received two Oscars for best actor, would receive a third for his final screen performance, which came opposite his longtime lover Katharine Hepburn in a social conscience film that was also a resounding commercial success. Instead, he was upset by the star of another film that featured Sidney Poitier and focused on the need for racial understanding, Rod Steiger for "In the Heat of the Night." It would be another nine years before a deceased actor would finally hold off his competition from beyond the grave and be called to the podium in absentia. Roughly two months after suffering a fatal heart attack at the age of 60, Finch held off strong competition from Robert De Niro in "Taxi Driver," Giancarlo Giannini in "Seven Beauties," Sylvester Stallone in "Rocky," and William Holden, his own co-star from "Network," for the win.

With Heath Ledger having already snagged nominations (as yet undetermined) for a Golden Globe, Satellite Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award, as well awards from the Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Forth Worth, Detroit, Florida, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York (online), Oklahoma, Phoenix, San Francisco, San Diego, Southeastern, St. Louis, Toronto, Utah, and Washington D.C., film critics, it now looks almost certain that we will have to rewrite the history books on Jan. 22 -- and quite possibly on Feb. 22, as well.

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Over the years, these ultimate "circumstances beyond one's control" prevented numerous other filmmakers from being present for what would have been the biggest moment of their lives. Among the more interesting examples:

• Several people received posthumous nods in back-to-back years as a result of one of the films on which they worked not being released for some time after their death: composer Jerome Kern in 1945 and 1946; costume designer Gile Stelle in 1951 and 1952; actor James Dean in 1955 and 1956; art director William A. Horning in 1958 and 1959; and composer Howard Ashman in 1991 and 1992. (Notably, Horning won the Oscar for best art direction both years!)

• When lyricist Howard Ashman died of AIDS at the age of 40 on March 14, 1991, he and Alan Menken, the composer with whom he frequently collaborated, had already been nominated for three Oscars for best song and had won one. Still, he undoubtedly would have enjoyed the reception his other work received after he was gone: a record four posthumous nominations -- three for "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) and one a year later for "Aladdin" (1992), all for best song -- one of which resulted in a win. Several others didn't live to see three Oscar nods: art director William A. Horning (who, again, won two!), composer Jerome Kern, and costume designer Gile Steele.

• American lyricist Bert Kalmar died in 1947. Four years later, in 1951, his song "The Strip" was featured in the movie "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" and earned him an Oscar nod for best original song, the first of his career.

• Larry Russell, Raymond Rasch, and Charlie Chaplin joined forces to compose the score for Chaplin's film "Limelight" (1952). While Chaplin was promoting the film in Europe, though, allegations began popping up in the United States that he was a Communist. Consequently, he was denied re-entry into the United States and the film was not released in the United States until 1972, at which time it was nominated for and awarded the Oscar for best original dramatic score. By that time, the Red Scare had passed over -- and Russell and Rasch were both long dead, the former in 1954 and the latter in 1964.

• Several films share the record for generating two posthumous nominations each: "Limelight" (1952, songwriters Larry Russell and Raymond Rasch), "Ben-Hur" (1959, art director William A. Horning and Sam Zimbalist), "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (1965, art director David Hall and cinematographer William C. Mellor), and "Il Postino" (1995, both for actor/writer Massimo Troisi). The record for most posthumous wins for one film? Well, it depends how you interpret it: two people nominated for "Limelight" were co-winners in the same category, whereas two people nominated for "Ben-Hur" won in two different categories and producer.

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The following is a complete list, in reverse-chronological order, of every posthumous Oscar nomination in the history of the Academy Awards:

• 2007 Marit Allen ("La Vie En Rose") for best costume design
• 2006 Gretchen Rau ("The Good Shepherd") for best art direction
• 2002 Conrad L. Hall ("Road to Perdition") for best cinematography WON 
• 1995 Mario Cecchi Gori ("Il Postino") for best picture
  
• 1995 Massimo Troisi ("Il Postino") for best actor
  
• 1995 Massimo Troisi ("Il Postino") for best writing
• 1992 Howard Ashman ("Aladdin") for best song ("Friend Like Me")
• 1992 Thomas C. Goodwin  ("Educating Peter") for best documentary (short subject) WON 
• 1991 Howard Ashman ("Beauty and the Beast") for best song ("Beauty and the Beast") WON 
• 1991 Howard Ashman ("Beauty and the Beast") for best song ("Be Our Guest")
• 1991 Howard Ashman ("Beauty and the Beast") for best song ("Belle")
• 1991 Carol Sobieski ("Fried Green Tomatoes") for best writing
• 1986 Boris Leven ("The Color of Money") for best art direction
  
• 1984 Ralph Richardson ("Greystroke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes") for best supporting actor
• 1982 Dale Hennesy  ("Annie") for best art direction
• 1981 Robert L. Wolfe ("On Golden Pond") for best film editing
• 1980 Geoffrey Unsworth ("Tess") for best cinematography WON 
• 1979 Robert Alan Aurthur  ("All That Jazz") for best picture
• 1979 Robert Alan Aurthur ("All That Jazz") for best writing
• 1978 Albert Lamorisse  ("The Lovers' Wind") for best documentary (feature)
• 1977 John Hubley  ("The Doonesbury Special") for best short (animated)
• 1976 Peter Finch ("Network") for best actor WON 
• 1976 Bernard Herrmann ("Obsession") for best score
• 1976 Bernard Herrmann ("Taxi Driver") for best score
• 1976 Harry W. Tetrick ("King Kong") for sound
• 1976 Harry W. Tetrick ("Rocky") for best sound
• 1973 William Kiernan  ("The Way We Were") for best art direction
• 1972 Arnold Perl ("Malcolm X") for best documentary (feature)
• 1972 Raymond Rasch  ("Limelight") for best score WON 
• 1972 Larry Russell ("Limelight") for best score WON 
• 1971 Stuart Gilmore ("The Andromeda Strain") for best film editing
• 1970 Alfred Newman  ("Airport") for best score
• 1969 Harry Stradling ("Hello, Dolly!") for best cinematography
• 1968 Walt Disney ("Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day") for best short (animated) WON 
• 1967 Spencer Tracy ("Guess Who's Coming to Dinner") for best actor
• 1965 David Hall ("The Greatest Story Ever Told") for best art direction
• 1965 William C. Mellor  ("The Greatest Story Ever Told") for best cinematography
  
• 1963 William Ferrari ("How the West Was Won") for best art direction
• 1963 Frederic Knudtson  ("It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World") for best film editing
• 1960 Eric Orbom  ("Spartacus") for best art direction WON 
• 1959 William A. Horning ("Ben-Hur") for best art direction WON 
• 1959 William A. Horning ("North by Northwest") for best art direction
• 1959 Richard H. Riedel  ("Pillow Talk") for best art direction
• 1959 Sam Zimbalist ("Ben-Hur") for best picture WON 
• 1958 William A. Horning ("Gigi") for best art direction WON 
• 1956 James Dean ("Giant") for best actor
• 1956 Victor Young ("Around the World in 80 Days") WON 
• 1956 Victor Young ("Written on the Wind") for best song ("Written on the Wind")
• 1955 James Dean ("East of Eden") for best actor
• 1954 Lamar Trotti ("There's No Business Like Show Business") for best writing
• 1952 Gordon Hollingstead ("Desert Killer") for best short film (live action)
• 1952 Gordon Hollingstead ("Thar She Blows!") for best short film (live action)
• 1951 Bert Kalmar ("The Strip") for best song ("A Kiss to Build a Dream On")
• 1951 Gile Steele ("The Great Caruso") for best costume design
• 1951 Gile Steele  ("Kind Lady") for best costume design
• 1948 Joseph H. August("Portrait of Jennie") for best cinematography
• 1946 Jerome Kern ("Centennial Summer") for best song ("All Through the Day")
  
• 1946 James V. Monaco ("The Dolly Sisters") for best song ("I Can't Begin to Tell You")
  
• 1945 Allen Davey ("A Song to Remember") for best cinematography
• 1945 Jerome Kern ("Can't Help Singing") for best score
  
• 1945 Jerome Kern ("Can't Help Singing") for best song ("More and More")
  
• 1945 Joseph O'Brien ("Your National Gallery") for best short (live action)
• 1945 Tess Slesinger ("A Tree Grows n Brooklyn") for best writing
• 1942 Frank Churchill ("Bambi") for best score
• 1942 Frank Churchill ("Bambi") for best song ("Love Is a Song")
• 1939 Sidney Howard  ("Gone with the Wind") for best writing WON 
• 1937 George Gershwin ("Shall We Dance") for best song ("They Can't Take That Away from Me")
• 1928/29 Jeanne Eagels ("The Letter") for best actress
• 1927/28 Gerald Duffy ("The Private Life of Helen of Troy") for best writing

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Photos (top, followed by left to right): actor Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" (Warner Bros. Pictures), writer Sidney Howard (WGA), actor James Dean in "East of Eden" (Warner Bros. Pictures), actor Spencer Tracy in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" (Columbia Pictures), actor Peter Finch in "Network" (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), and actor and writer Massimo Troisi in "Il Postino" (Miramax Films).

Comments

[Asim Khan]

the greaqt (late) heath ledger is without any doubt going to win the oscar for best actor in supporting role.........but he should have been nominated for best avtor in lead role...because he relly deserved that...May God bless his soul

[Steve Weissman]

Who can forget Chaplin's 1972 Oscar and his triumphal return after a twenty-year political exile:
http://chaplinalife.com/photo_essays/01.html

[T]

Heath Ledger indeed should win.

Heath you are truly missed,

your friend

Tharita

[Enrique S.]

You forgot about Peter Sellers for BEING THERE 1979?

[Scott Feinberg]

I did not forget about Peter Sellers for "Being There" -- the movie came out in 1979, he was nominated for an Oscar and was alive when the Oscars were held in early 1980, and then died in mid-1980, after he had already lost.

[Marj]

I wish that River Phoenix had been nominated for something...or even won. He would have gone on to a fantastic career with many interesting roles.

[qvr]

What about Ralph Richardson? He's even in your list but not in the post.

[Thelma]

River Phoenix WAS nominated for Supporting Actor in 1988 for "Running On Empty".

[Joanna]

You forgot the win of Henry Fond in 1981 for "On Golden Pond" Best supporting actor. It's a shame he is one of the greats.

[Scott Feinberg]

Joanna, Henry Fonda won best actor that year -- and he was still alive, just not well enough to attend the Oscars in person. He died soon after.